Thursday was our second monthly volunteer meeting, held again at the BP Energy Center. Shannon Jenson, our volunteer coordinator, took an informal survey at the beginning of the meeting and it was decided that we would continue our monthly meetings at the center, but would change the day to the last Wednesday of each month rather than the last Thursday. Apparently, the television shows are better on Thursday than they are on Wednesday!
We had pizza and snacks to munch on while participating in the meeting, with more than enough for all 15 people to have seconds or thirds even. It was decided, however, that food was not really necessary, so next time there will be only some munchies. Our budget is limited, and we don’t want to blow it on unnecessary expenditures. Also, Shannon mentioned the fact that she was always in such a frazzle getting ready for the meetings that she would really appreciate somebody else picking up the snacks. Elizabeth volunteered to bring something to our next meeting, and somebody else can volunteer for the following one. There will also be a "kitty jar" into which we all can put a buck or two to help defray the cost.
The city is going to have a luncheon, called the Golden Hearts Awards Luncheon, sometime in April to honor community volunteers. Shannon asked if anybody was interested in attending. It will be held at the Captain Cook hotel from 11:30 to 1:00, and will be sponsored by BP. If anybody is interested, please let her know as soon as possible since she has to reserve seats for us. So far, just Shannon and myself are going.
One of the new procedures that Shannon has implemented is the volunteer sign-in sheet. She explained a bit more about the thoughts behind this procedure in an effort to make it less objectionable, since it kind of feels like we’re back in kindergarten again. The zoo is eligible for grants and other "in kind" donations only if they can show that they have the support of the community. One very good way to show this is to document how many hours volunteers donate to them. Shannon said that just since the sign-in sheet started, we’ve had over 74 hours logged – if you multiply that out we could conceivable have well over 850 hours for the year. That could amount to a lot more money for the animals!
So please remember to sign in each time you go to the zoo. There are sign in sheets located at the admissions booth as well as in the education building. If you forget, or are unable to at the time you are there, you can always either call or email Shannon and let her know what you did, and how long you did it.
The next topic of discussion was Volunteer Job Descriptions. Shannon is planning to have a list of all the things that volunteers are able to do, along with a description of each activity, posted on the website. This will again aid the zoo in obtaining grants and/or "in kind" donations, as well as help future volunteers know what they’re getting into. Shannon has come up with a preliminary list of "jobs" but has asked for help in filling it out a bit. Each job will need to have the following: Position Title (like: Tour Guide), Description of position, Responsibilities, Outcome/Goals, Training and Support plan, Reporting to, Time commitment (hours per week), Qualifications Needed, and Benefits. She has blank forms available and would really appreciate some help in this endeavor.
One of the benefits of volunteering for the zoo is a new Volunteer Jacket! After one year of volunteer service, the zoo will give you a jacket with the zoo’s logo. The order for the jackets, and for t-shirts as well, has been turned in and they should be available soon.
These jackets and t-shirts will help identify the volunteers at the zoo, so please be sure to wear them. At the very lease, make sure you always have your badge on, particularly if you plan on going off the public trail system for any reason. The people who go to our zoo are fiercely loyal, for the most part, and will defend "their" animals anytime they see somebody do something they shouldn’t. I, myself, was accosted once by a very large man who did not see my badge. He took it upon himself to "teach me a lesson" and I have to admit it was rather frightening.
The IditaZoo is coming up really soon (March 12) and we still need volunteers for the day. There are quite a few positions still open, so please contact Shannon and let her know you can help out. She will make sure you get the information packet pertaining to the checkpoint you’ll be working at. Make sure you read thru the information so that you will be able to answer any questions that may come up throughout the day!
The final activity of the day was a demonstration of the critter table. Shannon had asked me to tell everybody how to "do" the critter table, and brought a tub full of stuff for me. I arranged it all out on the table and went thru some of the basics. Typically, I’ll arrange things in groups: the bear stuff all together at one end of the table, and the deer stuff grouped together at the other. I usually don’t use pictures, although we have some really nice ones available. I like to have the kids guess at the items, and see if they know their animals. If they seem interested, I’ll talk to them about the differences between black bears and brown bears, or the differences between an antler and a horn. Always, they have stories to tell, so I typically encourage them, adults too! Basically, you give them as much information as they can take in, which may be a lot one day and hardly anything the next. Each event is different, so you have to tailor your presentation techniques to suit.
After the critter table demonstration, we all just sat around and talked for a while. Shannon had sign-up sheets available for both the IditaZoo and for the Women’s Show coming up in April.
Of interest to some of you: John Gomes, our volunteer zoo photographer, got one of his pictures published in the National Geographic Kids magazine! They did a blurb on Maggie’s new treadmill and used his photo superimposed onto a treadmill at the gym. It’s a very cute picture; you’ll have to check it out if you have a chance.
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